The UAE Cabinet has approved Resolution No. 174 of 2026, introducing a new rule that caps driving time at nine hours within any 24-hour period. The regulation takes effect on 1 January 2027 and applies broadly — not only to professional and commercial drivers such as taxi and truck operators, but to all motorists on UAE roads.

Article 7 of the resolution goes further than a simple time cap: it explicitly bars anyone from continuing to drive once fatigue has impaired their ability to control the vehicle safely, even if the nine-hour limit has not yet been reached. The Federal Traffic Council retains the authority to review and adjust the limit if needed.

Road safety advocates have welcomed the move. RoadSafetyUAE is urging motorists to get seven to eight hours of sleep before long trips and to take a roughly 15-minute break every two hours to stay alert. The organisation notes that more than 20 road accidents in the UAE during 2025 were directly linked to driver fatigue, underscoring the scale of the problem the new rule aims to address.

Authorities have yet to spell out exactly how compliance will be monitored or what penalties drivers could face for breaching the limit — details officials say will be clarified closer to the January rollout. The rule is explicitly aimed at reducing fatigue-related crashes on the UAE's busiest intercity corridors, including the routes linking Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

The driving-hours cap is part of a broader package of 2027 traffic reforms in the UAE, which earlier this month also included a lower minimum age for e-scooter permits. Observers say the latest measure reflects growing regulatory attention on commercial and long-haul drivers, who typically spend the most hours on the road and are statistically more exposed to fatigue-related risk.